Sorry for my absence yesterday, I feel pretty awful still, but yesterday was a blur. In spite of feeling like hell, it is officially one month until my one year anniversary, and I like to be hot for my husband. So I pulled out my at home dumbbells and did 6 sets of ten of some different arm exercises.

When I got out of the shower I finished off the freezer and made A and I some cold-fighting smoothies.

I used frozen peaches, strawberries, and banana, and a splash of skim milk, ground flax seed, and maple syrup. Alongside Flinstone vits. I’m coming back to add that my smoothies were just too freezer-burnt, I threw mine out about a 1/4 through 😦

I also made popsicles!

I used a 6oz container of nonfat plain Fage, 1.5t maple syrup, and about 3/4C frozen strawberries, which filled three pop cups,

I’ll let you know how they turn out.

I have a long to do list today, especially because we are tackling our big Christmas project, so we are headed to Target, Kodak, and Trader Joes. Look at our post challenge food shortage:

I also have some school work to do and need to cook dinner. I’ve got to scurry off, but first…..

Even though I missed Turkey Day I still have things to be thankful for, including

my wonderful husband with whom I’ll be celebrating my one year married (and six years together) anniversary in a month!

my parents who are still healthy and gave me the best childhood I could have imagined

my ability to feel fat in my jeans because it means I have the ability to afford food to gain weight and that I can look at my clothes beyond pure utility

the fact that I despise my job, because whatever it is I do after this will be a joy

the fact that my country made (in my opinion) the right choice and Barack Obama will be our new president

A got home with pizza (Pino’s, right down the street, is truly fantastic, and was his brother’s last request before he heads home today) and was nice enough to share with me! I got a square each of Sicilian and Chicken Tomato.

Along side a homemade Pumpkin Shake!

I had out the blended because I made A a Guinness Milkshake so it seemed like a good time for a seasonal favorite. FYI – Guinness Milkshake = Guinness and vanilla ice cream in a blender; very good if you like dark beer. When I worked at the bar on campus in college there was a regular who invented them. Mine was actually more of a smoothie.

Blend together

1/2 C yogurt blends vanilla frozen yogurt

1/2 C nonfat plain Fage

1 C pumpkin puree

about 1 T maple syrup

1/2 C skim milk

a dash each nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice

Topped with a little cinnamon. This came to 350 calories, but was far too big and I couldn’t finish it all. You could definitely halve the recipe.

A’s brother is leaving around 3pm and I have more schoolwork to do and a gym class I’d like to go to at 5. We are eating leftovers so hopefully I should get to watch some tv and get to bed early today. Happy pumpkin picking folks!

I had an epiphany, wake-up call, what-have-you last night. I was reading one the Shape success stories (not Kath’s, however hers is inspiring) and thinking about how easy good health is. The funny thing about my weight gain is that, in spite of all my concern about how I look over the years, the thing that makes me most unhappy is the way I feel. Me being anything less than healthy is ridiculous. If I had to name my top ten favorite foods almost all of them would be low-calorie/high-nutrition. If I had to name my top ten favorite pastimes almost all of them involve calorie-burning moving activity. It seems a little silly!

I think the main roadblocks right now are:

I wait too long to eat and then I’m ravenous

I’ve gotten into the habit of eating at night (either that or I eat way too little during the day and am legitimately starved at night)

I do too much at the gym too quickly and rehurt old injuries (I have terrible joints)

My job is life-consuming and sometimes I feel to awful to make it to the gym

And here are my solutions:

For the next few weeks I will always carry healthy food in my purse

I will make a temporary rule that there is no eating after dinner

In spite of my excitement I will start with short, easy workouts and slooooowly work my way up

(It takes 28days to make a habit) For the next month I will go to the gym everyday; even if it is for a 5minute session

Please wish me luck! Now on to the food. I started this morning with a yummy smoothie. (For my husband and I) I put a small baggie of frozen blueberries, a handful of frozen strawberries, one frozen banana, a tbsp of good maple syrup, and a big splash of oj into the blender.

It was delish!

I few hours later I ate a plum on the walk to Staples.

And a few hours after that I ate a mini Luna bar on the way to the gym.

I did a quick workout; 20minutes of intervals on the elliptical and some abs and stretching. I dressed festively,

because afterwards my husband met me for The West Indian Day Parade!

It was wonderful, almost like Carnival back home.

We walked about 1.5miles and it was packed!

We planned on eating some yummy food, but the lines were all super long.

My original plan for today was to get up at 6:00 for a morning pilates class, do some school work, and then head in to work on my classroom a day early HA! Instead I stayed up until 2am watching rerun of “That 70’s Show” and then suffered a major bout of insomnia.

So the new plan (a la 12:00 wake-up time) was breakfast/brunch/lunch, to do some schoolwork, and to skip heading in early entirely – Yay.

I started the day with a yummy smoothie

Split between my husband and I, I blended 2 bananas that were about to turn, a baggie of frozen blueberries, a nonfat plain chiobani greek yogurt, 1 tsp of good maple syrup and about a 1/2 a cup of orange juice. We both agreed that this was not my best smoothie; there was just something off about it, too tangy maybe?

Along with my smoothie I had some leftover “leftover casserole” (a super-easy nonrecipe, let me know if I should post it).

On top of some posters I’m making for school. Which is what I’m about to go do for the rest of the morning day.